


It's Messy, But They're All That I Have

by orphan_account



Category: Beetlejuice - Perfect/Brown & King
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Beetlejuice Has Mood Ring Hair (Beetlejuice), Beetlejuice Is His Own Warning, Childhood Trauma, Fluff and Angst, Forgiveness, Found Family, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Its happy eventually i swear, Juno screws everything up, LEAVING THEN COMING BACK THEN LEAVING AGAIN THEN COMING BACK AGAIN, Not Beta Read, Please Don't Kill Me, Reunion, TW: Stabbing, This is a slow burn kinda thing, This won't be quick, Trauma, beetlebabes go away, its not as bad as it sounds
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:42:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24113002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Reunion was supposed to be a good thing. Of course Lydia wants to reunite with Beetlejuice! He was her best friend.So how did it all go so, so wrong?AKA how Rat Man gets stabbed a second time.
Relationships: (Beetlebabes DNI.), Beetlejuice & Charles Deetz & Delia Deetz & Lydia Deetz & Adam Maitland & Barbara Maitland, Beetlejuice & Lydia Deetz, possible beetlands
Comments: 17
Kudos: 81





	1. Intruder Alert

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something does horribly, horribly wrong.

Lydia would never admit it, but she’s always been afraid of intruders. She’s got a whole lot braver since...The Juicening...but the thought still scared her.  
The thought of some random person who she didn’t know, with the intent to hurt her or her family, sneaking around in her house. It made her skin crawl.  
So that’s how the situation began.  
It had been a few months since she had last seen Beetlejuice. She missed him terribly, no matter what he did. Sure, he did awful things. She didn’t entirely forgive him for almost exorcising Barbara, tricking her, the wedding-  
Lydia blanched.  
_Oh god, the wedding._

The wedding only brought back horrible memories she had tried so hard to repress. How hard it was to stab the art through his chest, his screaming, the sticky red blood on her dress and on the floorboards…  


The betrayal in Beetlejuice’s eyes as he gave his final breath.  


Lydia shook her head, suppressing the memory. Wherever Beej was right now, she hoped he was happy.  


Lydia didn’t want to sound selfish, but she wished he’d come back.  


She was consumed in thoughts about her best friend when she heard a noise on the roof. She didn’t HAVE to check it out, right? It could just be a raccoon, or the house shifting, or-  


Who was she kidding. She wouldn’t be able to sleep until she checked it out. Her heartbeat was racing bad and she was shivering in fear, but she pulled herself out of bed. She knew she was being stupid, but she grabbed a knife from the kitchen. It was stupid, she knew, but it made her feel more safe.  
She crept up to the rooftop, saying hidden in shadow. Fear beat through her veins with every pump of her heart.  
Someone was there.  


It was clear as day, there was a figure who was NOT either of her sets of parents who seemed to be holding a weapon.  


She was this close to screaming for help, for summoning Beetlejuice even to get rid of this intruder, but she was paralyzed on the spot.  


The figure shifted and she let out a small squeak. Her hands shifted on the knife. If they tried to attack her, she would just. Stab them. Easy.  


All she had to do was keep...the other time she stabbed someone...out of her mind and call for help.  


Easy. It was going to be easy.  


It had to be, because the figure seemed to notice her presence…  


...And it was coming towards her.  


It took out the weapon and advanced towards her, but it was too dark to make out if it had murderous intent in its face-  


It put out its arms in a seemingly-friendly gesture, but Lydia wouldn’t trust it.  


It took out the weapon, still coming towards her, and she-  


She sunk the knife into its gut.  


It was too fast, she had done it on accident, she didn’t mean it, but the figure fell onto her. Together, they fell through the attic window and onto hardwood floors, where she was able to roll out from under them. Moonlight shone through the window, spotlighting her crime.  


And in the light of the moon, she saw who it was.  


“Beetlejuice?” Lydia panicked. The Ghost With The Most laughed bitterly.  


“W-well...this isn’t this familiar, huh Scarecrow?” joked Beetlejuice. God, his hair was black, deep black, with streaks of white and purple so thin you could barely see them.  


“Beetlejuice, oh god, please are you ok-” Lydia panicked, she had just stabbed her best friend, this was too familiar-  
His blood was on her hands, red and sticky and he was going to die-  


“Chill o-out Lids, I’m in **stab-le** condition, haha...” he was laughing, but he was clutching his wound and tears were leaking from his eyes. “I-I’m fine, I’m fine, I’m...fine…” 

Beetlejuice’s head lolled back, his eyes rolling up in his head- He was going to die, just like Lydia’s m-  


“BEETLEJUICE, PLEASE! Please don’t die!” Lydia screamed, she was panicking and she knew she needed to calm down, but she just couldn’t. Her head hurt, she couldn’t breathe, she was shaking and sweating.  


There was only one thing she could do.  


“BARBARA! ADAM! DAD! DELIA!” Lydia screamed. “I NEED YOUR HELP!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo! Thanks for reading this!  
> Like it? Absolutely hate it? Have a favorite part? Have a least favorite part? Want to sic a sandworm on me?  
> Let me know in the comments!


	2. In the Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beetlejuice wakes up in an unfamiliar room, in the dark, with a stab wound.  
> It goes over as well just as you might think.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has references to slight self-harm, panic attacks, and...well...Juno, and all the warnings that come with her. Please be safe guys, and skip over this chapter if that's triggering for you. Love you all, please be safe!

When Beetlejuice woke up, he was VERY confused. Where was he? It was dark, but thankfully his demon eyes provided a little bit of night vision. The ceiling was a boring white, the walls were a somehow even MORE boring grey-  
This looked nothing like the Netherworld. Or his moping spot on Lydia’s roof. So where was he?  
The demon attempted to roll over in order to see the room, but stopped at the pain that shot through his stomach.  
_What the hell was going on?_  
_Focus, Lawrence, focus._  
Anyways, rolling over hurt **BAD** , but at least he could see the rest of the room. (He had to make sure this wasn't some kind of dungeon, he was NOT having a repeat of the Florida Incident of '55.) And...a whole lot of normal bedroom stuff. He had gotten lost in an IKEA once, so he knew how normal human bedrooms looked. Did wherever-he-was have NO personality?  
What was going on with his stomach area, anyway? Slowly, he sat himself up even as his stomach wound screamed in protest.  
A...stab wound?  
And just like that, he remembered.  
The demon clutched at his head, holding tightly onto his darkening hair. Lydia had stabbed him. Again.  
He had just been trying to say hello! At midnight. But still, the demon thought she would be at least SOMEWHAT okay with his presence again… Okay enough not to attack him on-sight…  
God, he had messed up. Lydia probably hated him, didn’t she? Everyone did. Even Beetlejuice himself did. He had messed everything up, everyone hated him, he STILL didn’t know where he was, they probably threw him onto the street or something-  
In the darkened room, a door opened. The ghost with the most flopped over immediately, ignoring the pain in his stab wound. He stilled his breathing, but he still noticed that he was shaking. He could almost imagine being a kid again, Juno standing over him as he pretended to sleep, beer bottle in her hand, anger in her eyes-  
No, bad Lawrence! He thought he had suppressed those memories!  
The person still stood over him in the darkened room, not moving. Just watching. A familiar pain bloomed across his arm as he scraped his nails up and down his forearms.  
That was the most familiar way he dealt with emotions.

A hand settled in his hair. Now the demon was getting REAL uncomfortable. Why did they have to do that? His skin crawled across him. Hands in his hair meant only bad things. They were going to hurt him, they were going to slam him into a wall or break his arm, because of course she was, of course it was Juno. What was he thinking, of course it was Juno, here to trap him again and hurt him and _**drink**_ -  
_Stop it Lawrence, stop it, stop it!_ The ghost with the most clutched at the blankets around him, squeezing his eyes shut. _Control your breathing, Lawrence._  
The hand in his hair started to move.  
“I’m sorry Beej,” said an all too familiar voice, “I didn’t mean to hurt you...Please be ok, please wake up…”  
Lydia?  
In an instant, the tension left his body like a river rushing from a broken dam. Lydia still seemed sad, though.  
“Please be ok.” Lydia sniffed, her hand tightening in his hair. Beetlejuice stiffened for a moment, and apparently noticing this, Lydia softened up her grip. “Sorry Beej. I know you can’t hear me, but I miss you. Are you having a nightmare? Sorry.” Lydia just kept speaking softly, and it slowly took Beetlejuice from a slight uneasy panic to comfort.  
This was nice.  
Yeah, this was nice.  
The hand tried to leave his hair, but he leaned back into it. The hand settled back into his hair as Lydia sighed contentedly.  
He couldn’t see it in this darkness, but he was sure that his hair was the brightest green it’s been.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to leave you guys hanging on Beetlejuice and the Deetz/Maitland's reunion!  
> An early update for all you good readers out there. And yes, I'm still working on a third chapter to (hopefully) be up by Sunday. ;)  
> Liked it? Hated it? Have a favorite part? Have a least favorite part? Want to sic a sandworm on me?  
> Let me know in the comments!


	3. Stairway Conversations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beetlejuice is stopped on the stairs by the last people he wants to see in the universe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! This chapter has mentions of self-hatred and past child abuse. If that's triggering, please skip this chapter!   
> Stay safe out there guys, love ya!

When Beetlejuice awoke again, Lydia was asleep on a chair near the bed. Aw, cute, the demon thought to himself as he slowly, slowly pried himself from the bed. It seemed to be dinner time. How long was he out for? He stumbled a bit while he walked, but he could get used to this. He’d had to deal with worse. His gut still hurt, but it wasn’t as bad. Kinda. He rubbed the bandage, dry and new.   
Who put this bandage on him? He hoped it wasn’t Lydia, that would be weird.  
He gingerly picked up his friend, walking down the hallway quiet as a mouse. She shouldn’t have to sleep in a chair like that. She deserved better.  
He opened her door, wincing at the loud creak.   
First thing he noticed: very dark, very black. But of course, it was Lydia he was talking about, so of course it was.  
Second thing: an abundance of black-and-white things. It reminded him of his suit, but that couldn’t be it, right?  
Right?  
It couldn’t be, he didn’t deserve to be so prevalent in her mind. Not after he hurt her like this. He set her down, summoning a third arm to pull the covers up over her.  
And without a word, he left.

It hit him right then, outside her door. He didn’t deserve any of this. He didn’t deserve Lydia’s kindness, or the guest bedroom, or a bed at all, he was just a constant screw-up to be thrown around-  
Beetlejuice stilled himself. From the strands of hair in his vision, he could see it was starting to darken. Breathe in, breathe out. Be calm.  
The purple-haired demon forced his mind to other things. He needed to distract himself.   
Was there any water? He was kind of thirsty. He should get water, right? Yeah. Yeah, it was decided then. He was going to go down to the kitchen and get some water. Maybe even some food as well.  
(If he had one talent in the world, distracting himself from things he didn’t want to think about might be it. Sometimes.)  
He put one foot on the stairwell and paused. He knew it was silly, but he had less-than-fond memories of the downstairs area. He forced his other foot down a stair.   
_Come on Lawrence, you’re being stupid. Just go down the stairs. Not that hard, broski._  
 _Just...go down the stairs._  
At first, Beetlejuice was succeeding on his quest to the kitchen. He was at the bottom of the stairwell, right in front of the kitchen. Maybe he could do this after all.  
And then he came face-to-face with a table full of **NOT ONLY** the Deetzs, but also the stupid, perfect Maitlands as well.  
He stared at them.  
And they stared back.  
And he stared at them.  
And they stared back.  
And-  
“Y’know what, I’m just gonna go back upstairs,” Beetlejuice said as he turned on his heels and started to ascend the stairs again.  
“Wait, Beetlejuice, come back, please,” said the scarily even voice of Barbara. Beetlejuice stopped against his better judgement at first, but then forced himself to keep moving.  
He heard someone get up from the table.  
 _You’re sure in for it now, huh Lawrence,_ Beetlejuice thought to himself. A hand clapped his shoulder, and he stiffened.  
If you brace yourself, it’ll hurt less when he eventually swings. The demon knows he will, because that’s always what happens when someone holds him, because if Juno held him that meant he was going to be in a world of pain-  
“-ice. Mr. Juice. Are you quite alright? You were hyperventilating and your hair is purple,” came Charles’ voice from the side of him. Charles’ hand was still on the demon’s shoulder.   
“Yeah, I-i’m fine. I’m fine.”  
He was lying, and without his stupid moodring hair they would’ve believed him. He wished that his hair wasn’t such a giveaway, it would be nice to have some private emotions for once.  
A silence.  
“So, Chuck, can we just get on with it? Can’t keep bracing myself forever, yanno?” Beetlejuice laughed bitterly.  
“...What are you talking about?” came Delia’s voice from the kitchen table.  
“You know, you know. The, uh, the hit. The swing. The part where your fist connects with my face.”  
“What?” Wow, Chuck actually managed to look shocked at that one.  
“I know it’s going to happen, so can we just get it over with? Nobody holds my shoulder like that unless the next thing they’re gonna hold is my unconscious body, heh,” Beetlejuice explained. Chuck’s eyes were wide, and he looked...uncomfortable? What was wrong, all he had said was common knowledge, right? Right?  
“That was...not my intention. To...assault you.”  
“Oh. That’s a first,” the demon joked, shrugging.  
Nobody was laughing, for some strange reason, but everyone was talking. It all buzzed together into meaninglessness as Beetlejuice stood silently like a man on trial.  
“So, how’s your injury,” Adam prompted. Beetlejuice shifted uncomfortably, his hair starting to bleach itself to yellow.  
“It’s...fine. Feels okay.”  
“Have you seen Lydia lately? She’s quite worried about you, she really didn’t mean to hurt you,” Delia piped up.  
“Actually Debbie-” Beetlejuice started as Delia sighed, “She was kinda, uh, watching me as I slept? Not in a bad way, I mean, it was kinda nice, and she was talking to me, and. Uh.” The pink and the yellow in his hair was not a good combination, in Beetlejuice’s fine opinion. “So, uh, she fell asleep in a chair near the bed. So I tucked her in her room and went downstairs, and that’s the prologue to this encounter, babey...?” Beetlejuice did finger guns, but he was honestly sorta scared. When were they gonna force him to leave?  
“Hm. That’s nice of you,” said Charles half-heartedly.  
“Thanks, Chuck.” Dang, these awkward silences really got, well, awkward. Beetlejuce tried to incite conversation again.  
“So. Uh. Whoever bandaged me up...thanks. For that. I appreciate it.” Beetlejuice smiled, his hair slowly fading to a more normal yellowish-green.  
“You’re welcome. When I was alive, I used to take nursing classes,” laughed Barbara. Oh. This was...  
“Barbara, you...? With my wound, and...uh...”  
“Yes, I did have to take off your shirt. Don’t even TRY to make a joke about that, you were unconscious.”  
The yellow INSTANTLY flooded back into his hair. Under his shirt is where his scars were. He did not like anyone seeing them without permission. He knew that he kinda needed Barbara to take it off for her to help him, but still. Uncomfy.  
“Hey, Beetlejuice, what’s wrong?” Adam asked, standing up. Beetlejuice dug his nails into his palm.  
“Oh, don’t worry! It’s nothing that matters.”  
Beetlejuice’s feelings never did and never would.  
He's held onto that ideology long enough, he can hold it for a little longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise I'll stop torturing him eventually! We've just gotta get through the sad stuff to get to the fluff.  
> I'll try my best to upload a chapter every Sunday. <3  
> Liked it? Hated it? Got a favorite part? Got a least favorite part? Want to sic a sandworm on me?  
> Tell me in the comments! I basically live down there.  
> Remember to make like the Maitlands and stay inside the house. Flatten the Curve, y'all.


End file.
